A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures

[By Nic Lindh on Friday, 08 July 2005]

Review: Blue Blood

Edward Conlon’s Blue Blood is an autobiography of his time in the NYPD, but it is also a lot more. A compelling writer, Conlon provides an in-the-trenches look at life as a cop, working patrol in the slums, doing B&B (buy and bust) operations with narcotics, and being promoted to detective.

But Blue Blood is much more—Conlon takes you along in his love of the history of New York and its people, as well as the path that led a former street tough with a Harvard degree into the force.

The chapters on September 11 and the work performed by the police department in the grim aftermath of the attack are especially moving.

Blue Blood is highly readable and gripping, speaking with authenticity and grit about the real life of cops.